PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The State president of the Uttarakhand Taxi Maxi Mahasangh, Sunder Singh Panwar has raised concerns over the excessive and illegal parking fees charged to taxis at Dehradun airport, which are significantly impacting taxi operators’ financially. Panwar averred that three to four months ago, the Dehradun airport authorities issued a parking tender to a company. He said that the parking company asked a fee of Rs 20 for taxis registered under the airport authority. However, for other taxi operators who pick up and drop off passengers, the fee was set at Rs 345, which they consider excessive. This situation has sparked concern among taxi operators traveling from Haridwar, Rishikesh, and other areas, as the excessive fees are significantly impacting their earnings, with nearly half of their revenue from a trip being spent on parking charges.
In response to these high fees, a protest was recently held at the airport, where officials assured to address the issue. However, Panwar said that just a few days later, parking attendants outside Dehradun airport began charging Rs 750 for taxi parking. He emphasised that this situation is truly alarming. Although the authorities had previously set the parking fee for taxi operators at Rs 345, it was not established through proper consultation with the State Transport department. Consequently, the illegal charge of Rs 750 was implemented.
Panwar has written to several relevant officials requesting action on this matter. He said that considering this, a meeting has been convened on April 2 by deputy commissioner of Transport, Uttarakhand Sunil Sharma under the chairmanship of secretary of Transport Brijesh Sant in which concerned officers will participate. The issue is set to be discussed in this meeting.
